Jamil Qureshi is one of the world’s leading performance psychologists, and an expert in high performance. Jamil has helped six people get to Number One in the world of sport and delivered leadership programmes at board level for organisations all around the globe.
Early in 2019 Jamil began the process of buying a new home, but encountered major problems when speaking with some of the lenders he approached.
Harpenden Building Society, however, was able to find answers to the problems he faced, and ensure that he was able to buy his new home after many had refused his application.
Problems, not solutions
Jamil has a proven track record of helping people to overcome obstacles and delivering results. In 2006, he was appointed as the first ever official psychologist to work with the European Ryder Cup team. The team made history when it won by a record-equalling margin.
Jamil was voted one of the top 100 most powerful men in golf in 2008 by his international peers, and ranked among the most influential figures in British sport in 2009.
He has worked with footballers from Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea, and several Formula 1 drivers. In 2009 he also worked with the England Ashes-winning cricketers.
With an outstanding track record, you would have thought that securing a new mortgage would be straightforward but that’s not what Jamil found.
He explains: “Along with my consultancy, my income comes through speeches to the sport and business community. The income is never totally guaranteed as we don’t have long-term contracts. With the removal of self-certified mortgages, I have had real problems as no-one was prepared to lend me the money.
“We were looking to remortgage a house so that we could buy a new home. Our income has always been stable and my accounts show year on year growth. I consider myself to be in a healthy financial position. For 12 years we’ve never missed a mortgage payment, and the move to the new property meant we were asking for a loan where the repayments would have been exactly the same as our present ones.
“It felt like there were so many things against us. No-one would look at us because we didn’t fit their computer algorithms. I have consistently earned a healthy income and never been out of work, yet people were not prepared to listen and look at our circumstances with a broad perspective.”
Harpenden flexibility
Harpenden Building Society has been working with customers with highly complex or unusual circumstances for many years. Brokers recognise that Harpenden has a team of highly experienced underwriters who can speak directly to their customers and build a detailed picture of their circumstances.
Sarah Howe, CEO of Harpenden explains: “Lenders relying on PAYE income and expenditure as a guide will never get the true picture of the risk – it’s simply not enough. We feel the world of employment is changing and have built an underwriting capability and organisation which meets the needs of the modern workforce.
“Our underwriters look at the full financial position and speak with customers to understand their plans, asset portfolios and employment circumstances. Large organisations don’t have the appetite for detailed analysis in this way. We take a proportionate common-sense view when we have gathered the information.”
Bespoke Service
Jamil found a broker who recommended Harpenden after he discussed the problems they were having, as he explains: “The people I talked to at Harpenden were very personal and friendly. Most importantly they were prepared to listen and understand.
“They contextualised the situation and their approach was unique compared to what I have experienced with other lenders. They work in non-traditional ways, which is precisely what I talk about to business leaders all over the world. There was a real personality rather than just a call centre operating a computer.”
Jamil has worked with business leaders and companies helping teams to fulfil their potential by orchestrating change and performance programmes. He has developed and delivered leadership programmes at board level for Coca Cola, Hewlett Packard, Emirates Airlines, Serco, O2, and Cisco Systems. He has led teams responsible for change management in several high-profile areas.
“One thing I found baffling was that it seems the world is changing but the financial institutions I dealt with are not. I believe many of the companies I encountered are going to be superseded by innovative and real-life players like Harpenden Building Society.
“Success in the future will be about remaining relevant to what people want. I think big banks are dead if they continue to operate like this for people like me.
“In reality, I don’t understand the detail of mortgages. I just want to be able to have a good night’s sleep knowing my finances are looked after. I wasn’t fussed about the names of products or the interest rate, I just wanted someone to help me to buy a new home. I wanted to deal with someone who had the same values as me.
“I sent the people I’d been talking to a note to say thanks and how refreshing it had been to deal with them. I then got a message from Sarah, the CEO, thanking me for getting in touch. It seems that every part of the organisation is genuine and willing to treat people like normal human beings.
“I have 21,000 people following me on LinkedIn, and I posted a thank you to Harpenden so everyone who follows me can see how they work and what they did for me.”
Where to go for help
If you are a broker discussing a complex case with a customer please call us on 01582 765411. We’ll be able to review the situation and provide a straightforward answer about the ways in which we can help.
